Last Post For Now

 After Sarasota, we sailed up to Clearwater to wait for weather good enough to cross the gulf back to the Panhandle.  We had a nice time visiting a few favorite places and reprovisioning and finally, time to go back towards home.  We had a good enough crossing back to Dog Island.  We had several days before we were meeting a group from the Fort Walton Yacht Club so, of course, David wanted to put a few coats of varnish on.  Actually, we both like to keep Blue Moon looking her best and I try to zen out with the effort so not all work.  From there we motored back up the ICW to Port St. Joe.  This marina is fully recovered from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Michael in 2018.  We love visiting the town so it was a great time.  We made our way back home and were tied in our slip just in time for a terrific downpour.  We used it as an excuse to spend another night on the boat.  For the last few days we've been getting our land legs back, cleaning a mountain of stuff and the boat.  Soon, I'll start on my yard.  
Overall, it was a wonderful trip and like all of life, it had its challenges but we met them together and we are glad we went.  We are already planning our next adventure.

Some creative soul thought they could lure tourists into a 

boat yard inside a shark.  It was funny to see it.

Blue Herons are always so regal looking.

Checking the engine before heading offshore

requires a lot of moving things around.  We've gotten

fairly good as disassembly then reassembly.

Heading out under the Clearwater Bridge.  We'll

be back next time.

Our last sunset.  It set behind the cloudbank

so no green flash.

We ran through a flock of migrating birds.  A few,

like this one, were not at all shy and hopped around checking 

us and the boat out.  Several overnighted in our dinghy and we

heard them chittering away all night.  Reminded me of slumber parties.

We were able to sail some of the trip and love our newest sail.

We decided to explore the western tip of the island

and saw what would be marsh once it rains.

No explanation for a hot tub high and dry on the

beach but I thought it was unique.

Lots of tape is used to keep any spills off 

the paint.  We have to use kneeling pads to protect 

our knees from the nonskid surface.

And even more tape but new varnish always looks

so nice it's worth it to us.

There must have been a lot of rains upriver from

where we anchored.  We have never seen the water level 

so high on this stretch.

Part of the group who came to Port St. Joe .

We love having friends and fellow sailors share

their stories and adventures.

Well, homecoming wasn't all perfect!

The battery in our van was too dead to even

take a charge so more dramatic measures were

called for to get it to the shop.  All running now!

Gulfport

 From Sarasota we moved on to the mooring field in Gulfport.  We had met a very nice couple at club on the way and they graciously hosted us for lunch.  We were so sad the much of the city was devastated by the hurricanes last summer.  The public docks are still not repaired but at least there is a plan and the city marina is partially back in business.  It was a good visit with signs of hope and recovery.

One of the things we've always loved about Gulfport is the

sense of fun and whimsy.  How many folks to you know with

a stainless steel dragon on their roof?

I couldn't resist the beautiful combinations of plants.

You might notice the new roof going on.

Gecko mailbox anyone?

A lovely sunset in a lovely bay.

We left a grape where the crow could reach it and 

it kept coming back for grapes or cherry tomatoes. 

It was back the next morning turning over towels to

find more grapes!

This tree was stripped of its leaves by the 

hurricane but is showing signs of life once again.

The Ringling Museums, the Circus and Miniature Circus Buildings

 The entire grounds are huge and houses the main welcome center, a building just for the miniature circus that one couple built over several decades, a building just for circus memorabilia and two art museums and the Ringling's mansion.  We didn't make it to the art museums but we will next time! If you want to learn more, visit   https://www.ringling.org

Howard Tibbals was fascinated with circuses and miniatures from a very young age.  His parent gave him the tools to indulge his avocation of recreating the circus in miniature.  He graciously donated his entire collection to the Ringling Museum and an entire building is dedicated to housing the display as well as Mr. Tibbals' tools.  He and his wife still make visits to the collection occasionally adding pieces.

One of the sections of the miniature setup.

and another.

Look at the detail! Each piece actually works.  The chairs fold,

the people and animals move.

The collection of circus memorabilia is in its own

large building.  This is the entrance to one of the

display rooms. 

Costumes were a huge part of the circus spectacle

and a large department was just designing and making hundreds

of unique outfits.  Another department was tasked with cleaning and 

repairing them all. Even the animals had elaborate outfits, especially

the elephants used for the grand entrance parades.

This mural was once the entrance to the headquarters

building.  If you zoom in to look at the doorway, it was where

the actually door was and had to be painted in once the wall

was moved to the museum.

They aren't kidding,  It was a big show.

A mural of the performers practicing.  They 

had special mouthpieces made to protect their 

teeth.

We spent way too long playing with the interactive

displays.  

But we sure had fun.

John Ringling's personal railcar.  The circus rarely

stayed in one spot for more than a day.  The logistics 

of moving thousands of people, animals, costumes, etc.

is mind boggling.  Even more mind boggling is doing it over

100 times a year.

One of the ornate wagons used in the grand entrance parade.

The hand carved wood decorations and hand painted wheels

were spectacularly beautiful

The Ringling Museum- The Mansion

 This museum is now one of our favorite spots that we have ever visited.  We spent over 5 hours and only saw about 2/3  of it.  We'll definitely be going back!

The tour was self guided and we had picked an

 amazingly unbusy day so we could linger as long 

as we liked .  This is the terrace, all marble from

Italy.  The Ringling's, John and Mabel, loved touring

Europe and collected art and ideas for their own home. 

A Roman soldier watches over approaching boat.

This is a one of a kind sink made with a specially

formulated metal to withstand use and remain beautiful.

The large S shape is to allow pots to remain stable while 

being filled from the spigot.

Sadly, the recent hurricanes caused a great deal of 

damage to the entire property.  This is some of 

the remains of a once gorgeous rose garden.  The 

staff is sourcing stock for new plants based on the

original cultivars.

You can't miss the grand house as you walk up the path.

We were able to get a shot of the back of the

mansion as we passed on our way to our next stop.

Just as impressive from the water as it was from shore.

The entrance to the park.

Ringling had his crest worked into the protective grills

over the windows.  You can see the plywood being used 

in making repairs.  The entire second floor is still

undergoing renovation.

This is an amazing feat of woodworking.  I 

can't imagine the effort require to carve and then 

install this ceiling over 20 feet about the floor.

 

The Ringlings were friends with Thomas Edison

so they had a fully modern house including an

electric servant call system instead of the more common

bell pulls of that era.

The original window.  If you look closely, you can

see that the glass is slowly moving down each pane

graphically reminding us that glass is really a liquid.

A grand atrium lights up the ballroom,

 linking the living wing with the entertaining wing.

John Ringling's office.

When you have a dinner for almost 100, you need

a big stove!

A closer look at the front of the house.

One of the staircases leading to the bedrooms.

.

For guest arriving by boat

Every man needs his own bar.  I thought it

was interesting to have Texas longhorns hanging

in such and ornate area.

This was all ONE tree!

The back view of the house from the terrace.

A big kid just needed to slide!